Sri Lanka replicates ‘successful’ PH anti-drug campaign

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AFP) — Sri Lanka announced Wednesday it would start hanging drug criminals, ending a near-half century moratorium on capital punishment as officials promised to “replicate the success” of the Philippine drug war.

President Rodrigo Duterte’s intensive campaign against illegal drugs since coming to power in 2016 has left thousands of people dead and prompted allegations of crimes against humanity.

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena told the cabinet he “was ready to sign the death warrants” of repeat drug offenders and deploy the military to tackle drug crime, a government spokesman said Wednesday.

“From now on, we will hang drug offenders without commuting their death sentences,” Rajitha Senaratne said.

“We were told that the Philippines has been successful in deploying the army and dealing with this problem. We will try to replicate their success,” he said.

Sri Lanka has commuted death sentences for serious crimes to life in prison since 1976, when the last execution took place.

Senaratne said there were 19 drug offenders whose death sentences had been commuted to life. It was not clear if they would be hanged under the government’s policy shift.

Political will Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said the Philippine government is elated by Sri Lanka’s admiration of its war on illegal drugs, although it has not yet considered hanging drug dealers like the South Asian nation planned.

“We are happy that other countries have taken note of our war on drugs and that they look upon us as best practice on dealing with illegal drugs. We appreciate that,” Roque said.

Roque said while they appreciate Sri Lanka’s approval of the local anti-drug campaign, the government has yet to implement a death penalty in the country due to the absence of a law.

He said the administration has instead applied political will and used law enforcement to combat illegal drug trade.

Amnesty International responded swiftly urging Colombo not to press ahead.

“Sri Lanka must pull back from any plans to implement the death penalty and preserve its longstanding positive record on shunning this cruel and irreversible punishment,” the London-based rights group said in a statement.

But Sri Lankan authorities say a tougher approach is needed to combat what they say is an increase in drugrelated crime.